At the Met Gala 2026, Manish Malhotra had both Camila Mendes and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) wear his creations and then he showed up himself and stole the show!
The designer arrived with range.
On one end, there was cinematic, art-inspired couture. On the other, sharply edited menswear that proved you don’t need excess to make impact.
And tying it all together was a strong, unmistakable thread of Indian craftsmanship front and centre, translated for a global stage.
Camila Mendes
Riverdale star Camila Mendes became Manish Malhotra’s canvas.
Her custom mahogany gown drew from the works of Amrita Sher-Gil, translating the artist’s portraits into couture.
The structure was tight at the top with a corset, then loosened into soft, draped chiffon that gathered at the hip and flowed behind her. The texture almost felt like brushstrokes on fabric.
She finished it with Manish Malhotra High Jewellery featuring tourmalines, uncut diamonds and gold.
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson kept things super clean.
No drama, no layering, just a sharp look with a Manish Malhotra High Jewellery brooch in emeralds and diamonds.
And honestly? That was enough.
Manish Malhotra
And then Manish Malhotra showed up himself and made it count.
Wearing an ivory bandhgala with a statement cape, he turned his outfit into a tribute to Mumbai and the artisans he works with.
The ensemble took 960 hours and 50 artisans to make.
It had traditional techniques like zardozi, chikankari and dori work but what really stood out was the names of the artisans were actually embroidered into the outfit and 3D figures of them embedded on it.
So the people behind the scenes were literally part of the look.
© 2026